Daniel Radcliffe, David Beckham, Dakota Fanning to Narrate ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ on Spotify

J.K. Rowling and Spotify are teaming up to bring a celebrity-filled narration of the first “Harry Potter” book to life.

The initiative was created to bring more entertainment to kids and their parents during the worldwide COVID-19 lockdown. Rowling’s first book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” will be read aloud by “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe, Stephen Fry, David Beckham, Noma Dumezweni, Eddie Redmayne and Dakota Fanning among the actors that will narrate the book via self-recorded videos.

Appropriately, Radcliffe kicks off the narration by reading chapter one. Other “surprises and special appearances from across the Wizarding World and beyond” will also be featured.

The read-aloud chapters will be released individually starting May 5 through the end of June. Chapter One will be released at 2:15 BST and videos will be posted weekly on the Harry Potter at Home website. Spotify joins the effort and will host audio-only versions of the read-along on its web player and mobile app. As with all podcast content on Spotify, the chapters will be available to all free and Premium Spotify users worldwide, including Spotify Kids — the platform’s standalone beta app for kids — exclusive to Spotify Premium Family subscribers in select markets. Audiobook platform Audible is also offering the audiobook version of the novel for free on its Audible Stories platform.

Teachers are also encouraged to get their remote classes involved and will be given open license to post videos of themselves reading the Harry Potter stories on educational platforms.

The initiative was developed by Wizarding World Digital (a partnership between J.K. Rowling’s fan site Pottermore and film publishers Warner Bros) and J.K. Rowling’s agents the Blair Partnership.

“It is hoped that this new slate of readings bring further comfort, entertainment and magic to children, families and carers confined to home everywhere,” Wizarding World Digital said in a statement Tuesday.

http://wizarding.world/6006178ae

These Celebrities Reached Into Their Pockets to Help Us Get Through the Pandemic (Photos)

As the number of people sickened by COVID-19 continues to rise, there is certainly no shortage of kind acts from people helping others get through the pandemic. And that includes celebrities and Hollywood artists social distancing like the rest of us. These famous do-gooders are reaching into their own pockets to make life under quarantine just a little bit easier.

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Oprah Winfrey announced on social media that she is donating $10 million to relief efforts, with $1 million of that specifically helping people who are struggling to buy food during the pandemic.

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Rihanna’s charitable organization Clara Lionel Foundation made a commitment of $5 million that will go to U.S. food banks as well as to helping advance testing in at-risk communities both in the U.S. and in Haiti and Malawi. The foundation — along with Twitter's Jack Dorsey — also partnered with the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles and committed $2.1 million toward shelter, meals and counseling for victims of domestic violence. The fund, combined with Dorsey's contribution, totals $4.2 million.

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10-time Grammy-winner Taylor Swift has been quietly contacting people on social media who have said they've been struggling to pay bills during the pandemic. Those users then shared screenshots of Swift making donations to them of several thousand dollars each.

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TV host Kelly Ripa and husand Mark Consuelos donated $1 million to both the New York governor’s office, for the purchase of ventilators, and WIN, a New York-based organization that provides shelters to homeless women and children.

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Writer Roxane Gay has tweeted several times during the pandemic asking for those struggling to pay bills during the pandemic to share their mobile payment handle to receive personal donations from her.

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Ryan Reynolds and wife Blake Lively announced on social media that they donated $1 million to Feeding America and Food Banks Canada.

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Pop star Ariana Grande said in her Instagram Stories that she had made donations to several organizations, including Opportunity Fund, GiveDirectly, Feeding America, Croce Rossa Italiana and the World Health Organization.

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A physician in Los Angeles, Dr. Thais Aliabad, wrote on Instagram that Kylie Jenner, one of her patients, had "donated $1,000,000 to help us buy hundreds of thousands of masks, face shields, and other protective gear."

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NFL player Drew Brees told TMZ that he's donating $5 million to the state of Louisiana to help with the coronavirus relief efforts.

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Oscar-winning actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie donated $1 million to No Kid Hungry to help provide meals for children in low-income families, the organization said in a statement.

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Country music legend Dolly Parton said on Instagram that she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt's research for a COVID-19 cure.

Bruno Mars, who has a residency in Las Vegas, donated $1 million to the MGM Resorts Foundation to help MGM employees in the city who lost work due to the pandemic, his representative said, according to E News.

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The players, coaches and owners of the Golden State Warriors announced they are donating $1 million to help employees at the Chase Center who lost work because of canceled NBC games.

Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey said on his platform that he is donating $1 billion in shares of his other company Square Inc. to help fund relief efforts. Dorsey said it is about 28% of his wealth. After "we disarm the pandemic," Dorsey said, the money will also help fund girls' health and education, as well as universal basic income.

Along with Rihanna's charitable foundation, committed $2.1 million toward shelter, meals and counseling for victims of domestic violence for a total $4.2 million grant.

Beyonce's BeyGOOD foundation also partnered with Jack Dorsey, teaming up with his #startsmall initiative to donate $6 million to local community organizations so they can provide necessities like food, cleaning supplies, protective gear, medicines and more.

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Greg Berlanti pledged $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds that will go directly to the 5,000 staffers working on the 17 series currently in play at Berlanti Productions, as well as others in the entertainment industry that have been affected by the shutdown. He announced the gesture in a company-wide memo on April 29

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There is certainly no shortage of kind acts from people helping others get through the coronavirus pandemic, and that includes celebrities and Hollywood artists social distancing like the rest of us

As the number of people sickened by COVID-19 continues to rise, there is certainly no shortage of kind acts from people helping others get through the pandemic. And that includes celebrities and Hollywood artists social distancing like the rest of us. These famous do-gooders are reaching into their own pockets to make life under quarantine just a little bit easier.